


Black and Blue

by sleepydanceur



Series: Jongin's Birthday Fic Countdown 2017 [3]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Bikers, Dog Shelter, Gangs, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-12
Updated: 2017-01-12
Packaged: 2018-09-17 01:11:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9297611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepydanceur/pseuds/sleepydanceur
Summary: "Badass biker boy Chanyeol getting into fights at night but during the day cooks bentos and cleans the dog shelter for his cute crush Jongin."Based on this prompt: https://twitter.com/chankaiprompts/status/768159143844651008





	

**Author's Note:**

> D-2 till Jongin's birthday!

Chanyeol doesn’t raise his fists fast enough to block the punch that smacks right into his cheekbone. The pain explodes in his face and Chanyeol groans, stumbling a little before regaining his balance. He manages to block the next hit coming in and lands a hit himself, right in the guy’s stomach, winding him enough to falter backwards. 

Beside him, Sehun is dealing with two other members of the gang by himself and Chanyeol rushes over to help him, getting a few punches in too. The bar has turned into an all out brawl, with far too many people inside wreaking havoc after a fight broke out. 

A fight that Baekhyun started, not that Chanyeol can really blame him. They’d been minding their own business before the other gang showed up and trashed Baekhyun’s motorbike out of petty spite. They’ve been having territory fights for months now. Baekhyun threw the first punch and all hell broke loose from there. 

Chanyeol groans when he gets a sharp knock in the jaw, splitting his lip on his own teeth with the force of it. He staggers to hold onto the bar counter when he starts to see stars, trying to get his head to stop spinning. 

The sudden sound of police sirens has everyone stopping in their tracks, freezing on the spot and then there’s a mad dash as everyone scatters a beat later. Chanyeol yanks Sehun up from the floor by the collar of his jacket, pushing through everyone else scrambling to get out through the doors and joins Baekhyun outside, clambering onto their bikes. Baekhyun’s engine coughs and sputters but holds on just enough for them to take off before the police arrive on the scene. Even with the deafening sound of the wind rushing past his ears, Chanyeol can still hear Baekhyun swearing loudly. 

They drive away far enough till it’s safe to slow down a little, when they can’t hear the sirens anymore. It’s late anyhow, and Chanyeol waves them goodbye as they take the road home and Chanyeol heads in the other direction, wanting nothing more than to slump down on his soft, comfortable bed right now. 

He’s too exhausted from the fight to clean himself up properly, only slipping out of his clothes before diving in under the sheets and sighing when his head hits the pillow, falling asleep almost immediately. 

 

 

Chanyeol regrets his decision not to clean himself up when he wakes up with dried blood cracking on his knuckles. Yawning is a bad move too, he find, when he opens his mouth wide to yawn and his busted lip splits open again painfully. 

Groaning, Chanyeol cocoons himself deeper into his sheets a moment longer before finally mustering up the will and energy to drag himself out of bed. He has a job to get to, after all. His stomach flip flops a little at the thought of starting his morning off there and he smiles to himself.

Shuffling into to the kitchen, he fills a pot with water to boil and starts pulling ingredients out of the fridge and cupboard to cook, working quickly and arranging the food neatly into the plastic bento boxes he’s laid out on the counter; two of them. He tsks under his breath at the raw skin on his knuckles as he arranges the mini sausages on the rice in the boxes but ignores it, deciding that wrapping any gauze around it will most likely only attract more attention to it. Chanyeol catches sight of his reflection in the mirror and sighs at the mess. His face looks terrible. He’s not sure how he’s going to explain it this time. 

He jumps into the shower once he’s done, picking out some fresh clothes and grooms himself as acceptably as he can for the public, trying to sort out his unruly hair before heading out, with the bento boxes stacked carefully in a bag. The bottle of allergy pills rattle in his jacket pocket and he tugs it out, popping two into his mouth and wrinkles his nose at the sour taste. He’s got enough time before his shift starts that he could walk slowly, but he picks up the pace anyway, eager to get there. 

He can hear the barks and yips from almost a corner away, growing louder when Chanyeol pushes the door open and the smell of wet fur and dog food penetrates his senses. 

“Morning Chanyeol!”

Jongin has his hands full with the new litter of puppies he’d delivered a week ago, clambering all over his lap trying to lick his face, but he still manages to smile over at Chanyeol, his face lighting up when he comes in. 

“Hi Jongin,” Chanyeol calls back, setting down the boxes safely behind the counter and ducking over to help him with some of the jumpy puppies. His stomach flips on itself again when Jongin smiles at him gratefully, and even the adorable wagging tails in front of him can’t distract his eyes away from the radiant look on Jongin’s face. 

It’s only been a couple of months since he started working here, ever since since he passed by the shelter for the first time and ducked inside out of curiosity, too much of a bleeding heart for puppies to pay too much mind to the fact that he’s allergic to them. Jongin, the owner of the shelter, had come up to talk to him then, offering him a sweet smile and Chanyeol had been instantly charmed by everything about him. The _‘help wanted’_ poster on the counter had caught his eye then and he went for it on the spur of the moment, applying for the post. He’s a freelancing artist so he can choose his own working hours a bit more flexibly.

Chanyeol has been harbouring this enormous crush on Jongin ever since, but he’s never actually had the balls to do anything about it. He can take on five guys in a fist fight, no problem, but trying to be open with Jongin about the way he makes him feel really just feels like he’s being pushed off a cliff. Added to the fact that he deliberately hasn’t made any mention to Jongin at all about him being part of a gang, nervous about how he would take it. It’s hardly something he can just slip into his resume anyhow. 

Chanyeol has lost count of all the things he’s grown irrevocably drawn to; the way Jongin laughs with his entire body, how passionate he is about whatever he does and how he clearly adores every single pup in the shelter, wanting to find them all families, but will be all the family they need if it doesn’t work out. There’s a genuine sincerity about Jongin that enraptures him. 

When Jongin finally manages to put the wiggling puppies down for a moment, he leans in closer and gets a good look at Chanyeol. His expression shifts immediately when he notices the marks on his fists and the dark swell on his jaw which Chanyeol had actually forgotten about, having been momentarily distracted from the ache. The throbbing is starting to creep back in now that he’s aware of it again. 

“I fell,” Chanyeol says feebly. Even he can hear how overused and artificial it sounds, the sentiment reflected on Jongin’s face who clearly doesn’t believe him though he doesn’t push it. Instead, he gets up and heads into the back room before emerging again with an ice pack in his hands. It has become enough of a common occurrence that Jongin just has it ready at hand. Chanyeol doesn’t know how long he can keep pushing the clumsy image he’s trying to fall back on to explain the bruises. Jongin pushes the ice pack into his hands and beckons him to press it to his jaw. 

“It looks like it hurts,” Jongin says simply, picking up one of the puppies rolling on its back on the floor again. There’s a soft concern in his eyes and Chanyeol feels a pang of guilt for lying to him. The truth would be even worse though, to tell Jongin how he spends his nights and how a lot of them turn out. He shifts the ice pack, groaning when he presses the sharp edge too hard against the part that hurts. Jongin suddenly takes it from him, shuffling a little closer to him to angle it differently and presses it gently to his jaw, throwing him a sympathetic look.

“I’m fine really,” Chanyeol protests but Jongin slides a hand around the back of Chanyeol’s neck to hold him steady and Chanyeol stops breathing altogether.

“Just hold still,” Jongin chides him, like Chanyeol hasn’t gone completely rigid from the sudden close contact. “You really need to be more careful.”

Chanyeol nods wordlessly, wincing when the movement jostles his lip. Chuckling, Jongin discards the ice pack and turns around, hoisting one of the scuttling puppies up and deposits it in Chanyeol’s lap. 

“This’ll make you feel better,” he says, smiling adoringly as the puppy immediately nestles in Chanyeol’s clothes.

“Oh, I already feel better,” Chanyeol hums, still looking at Jongin. Jongin blinks, surprised, and Chanyeol wonders if he’s just imagining the smile Jongin is trying to hide when he turns to busy himself with the rest of the litter.

 

▸

 

He drowns his woes in a few bottles of beer when he’s out with Baekhyun and Sehun again at one of their usual bars. 

“You’re being an idiot,” Sehun says unhelpfully, not that he’s wrong. 

“You can’t hide it forever,” Baekhyun chips in, signaling the barman for another round of drinks at their table. 

Chanyeol sighs and drops his head into his folded arms on the table while Sehun pats his back sympathetically. He’s gone through a couple of beers now but he still feels too sober for how much his thoughts are racing. 

“How can I tell him about all this?” Chanyeol says, making a vague gesture around them but they get the idea. “This isn’t...it’s not the most conventional lifestyle to explain.” 

“You won’t know if you don’t try,” Baekhyun says sagely, taking a huge swig from his beer and smacking his lips loudly. Baekhyun was lucky when he’d confessed to Jongdae. Jongdae just came out and confessed right back about his own underground gang that he runs with. 

“I don’t think trying is really an option,” Chanyeol mutters, thinking about Jongin’s smile when customers leave the shelter with a puppy to take home, his soft humming when he hasn’t realized Chanyeol is there yet. The way he laughs so loudly at Chanyeol’s stupid jokes, indulging him further.

“Is doing nothing like this really a better option?” Sehun yanks at his hair idly and Chanyeol smacks him away grumpily, but he does make a good point. Sighing, he waves the barman over to ask for something a little stronger, no more decided on what to do now than any time before. 

“From what you’ve told us, he sounds like a decent guy,” Baekhyun says. “You should probably give him more credit.”

Chanyeol bows his head sheepishly, feeling a little ashamed that he’d already made up his own assumptions on this, but he can’t help it. They’re from two completely different worlds, and that’s not taking into account how many lies Chanyeol has told to cover up his own. Different or not, that’s usually something that’s universally frowned upon. Groaning, he drops his head into his folded arms again.

 

▸

 

It’s a loud, messy day when the pregnant husky finally goes into labour. Chanyeol arrives right on time to help Jongin deliver the puppies. It’s a long process, helping the mother through one puppy after another until all six are finally out and already nestling into their mother’s side. 

They sit back on the ground when they’re done, chests heaving and laughing helplessly. Jongin actually starts to get a little teary eyed and Chanyeol laughs harder, reaching over to pat his thigh lightly. Jongin turns his face away, embarrassed but he’s still beaming widely, the happiness making him look absolutely radiant. 

“Should we name them?” Chanyeol asks, already trying to think of six different names if he somehow manages to distinguish one puppy from another. “I call dibs on this one being Toben.”

He pets the grey speckled one softly with his finger, grinning when the newborn nuzzles into his touch slightly. 

“Cute,” Jongin sniggers, watching them adoringly. He scans over the rest of the puppies thoughtfully. “How about Monggu for this one?”

They end up naming all the rest of them too, making fun of each other's choices when the other comes up with something completely ridiculous.

“I just wish I could take them all in myself,” Jongin sighs finally, staring down at the puppies, looking troubled. “But I don't have the space. I just have to hope someone will come in soon and give them a home.”

Chanyeol stares at his face pensively and then back at the tiny balls of puppies barely able to wiggle their weight around, trying to nestle deeper into the warmth of their mother. 

 

 

“You want us to what?” Baekhyun quirks an eyebrow at Chanyeol over the rim of his beer bottle.

“Adopt a puppy,” Chanyeol repeats firmly, and both Sehun and Baekhyun seem to realize how serious he is. 

“This is about Jongin, isn't it,” Sehun deadpans before Chanyeol can go any further. 

“No this is about the puppies,” Chanyeol insists, which is mostly true anyway. He’s grown more than a little attached to all the dogs at the shelter, not that it took much for the entire shelter to act on his bleeding heart. 

“Well why don't _you_ adopt them?” Baekhyun throws back and Chanyeol glares at him since he knows full well why he can't. Baekhyun catches the look and rolls his eyes. 

“I can’t believe you willingly put yourself in a sinkhole of allergies. And that Jongin doesn’t even know. Now that’s just sad.”

Grumbling, Chanyeol shoves his shoulder, only mildly gratified when the jostling makes Baekhyun spill half his drink all over himself.

The doors to the bar suddenly fly open then, swinging around so hard the knob chips some of the paint off the wall. A group of men step inside and everyone visibly stiffens. Chanyeol recognizes them immediately by the distinctive crest patched into their jackets. They like to call themselves the ‘Batteries’, notorious for constantly picking fights with everyone and vandalizing property for laughs. Chanyeol’s own circle tends to get into a few too many tiffs with them when they cross paths. Just a couple of weeks ago they slashed Sehun’s tyres; he’d had to fork out a lot of money to get them replaced.

As expected, they get a wave of dirty looks thrown their way, which ,of course, they return. The Batteries settle around the bar counter, mere feet away from where Chanyeol and the others are standing, ordering drinks for themselves. The leader, Namkyu, is there with them too this time, sporting a fresh looking cut running down the side of his face. Must be from another brawl they got themselves into elsewhere, which would hardly be surprising. He catches Chanyeol looking and narrows his eyes coldly but Chanyeol eyes him back defiantly, his grip tightening around his bottle. 

Neither of them makes a move. On any other day, one wrong look would have probably been enough to spark a fight. This time though, there’s a handful of police discreetly patrolling the area, as though hoping to finally catch the action when it happens and manage to get some arrests in before everyone splits. It’s not worth the risk to start anything right now. 

Luckily they leave after barely an hour and the palpable tension in the air literally dissolves the second the door swings shut behind the last one of them. 

“They’re seriously pushing their luck coming in here more often,” Baekhyun grits out gruffly, and Chanyeol nods silently, feeling like they’re just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

 

▸

 

Chanyeol starts helping Jongin walk the dogs in the morning now too and they take them to one of the less populated parks to let them stretch their legs for a while. The dogs are incredibly excited to be out in the open space, jumping and tugging at the leash hard to try and get ahead until they're finally allowed to run free.

Jongin settles back on the grass and beckons Chanyeol to join him. The sun is warm enough to feel comfortable and Chanyeol enjoys the sunshine on his skin, though he resists the urge to close his eyes since he still has to keep an eye on the dogs.

Jongin's shifting catches his eye and Chanyeol turns to him, taking in his fidgeting and his uncertain expression. His eyes keep darting to and from Chanyeol’s face looking like he wants to say something but is still trying to get around to it.

“What is it?” Chanyeol laughs when Jongin jumps, realizing he’s been caught. 

“I was just gonna ask if you were free this weekend,” Jongin starts, a light flush spreading across his nose and cheeks. “My friend is having a house party, I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to come?”

He looks hopeful and shy, though he’s clearly trying to pass the question off as noncommittal, which somehow thrills Chanyeol even more. 

“Sure, yeah, for sure! I’d like...yeah,” Chanyeol answers not so smoothly, fumbling over his own words. 

“Great!” Jongin beams, looking both incredibly relieved and elated. Chanyeol can’t stop grinning either, feeling like nothing could bring him down, though one of the puppies peeing on his jacket comes pretty close.

 

▸

 

The weekend finally rolls around and Chanyeol meets Jongin at the address he was given, finding Jongin waiting for him by the front gate. He looks good in the tight black pants he’s wearing under his fitted black shirt and Chanyeol is a little more smitten. He’s totally done for when Jongin smiles at him, his hair falling over his eyes when they crinkle. 

“You look good,” Jongin says quietly, before Chanyeol can try to string his own words together into a compliment himself. 

He’d made an attempt to do something different with his hair for the party, pulling his bangs up and to the side to frame his forehead neatly. Jongin seems to like it. 

“You too,” Chanyeol manages in return and Jongin bites his lip to cover his smile, beckoning Chanyeol to head inside the house with him. 

There’s already a lot of people inside, dancing to the loud music playing from the speakers. Jongin guides him further inside, introducing him to some people here and there, including the host, Taemin. 

“Oh, so _this_ is the guy who works at the shelter with you,” Taemin grins widely as he takes Chanyeol in. “It’s nice to finally meet you.” 

It feels like there’s something Chanyeol is missing, but Jongin suddenly cuts in, nudging Taemin away. 

“Don’t you have more guests to attend to?” Chanyeol hears him grumble under his breathe.

“Right, right,” Taemin says, turning back to leer at the both of them. “Have fun you two!”

He slips away, disapparating in the crowd and Jongin turns back to face Chanyeol, heaving out a breath, sporting flaming red cheeks. 

“Ignore him,” he mumbles, pushing a red plastic cup into Chanyeol’s hands and takes one for himself. “Cheers.”

Chanyeol raises the cup to his lips and gladly takes a sip from the beer, bobbing his head to the low bass blaring out. 

One beer turns into four and somehow they manage to find an unoccupied couch to slump onto, laughing easily now that they’ve loosened up a little. Another couple suddenly squeezes into the other end of the couch too and Jongin has to scooch over to make space, pressing right up against Chanyeol’s side.

“I really like this song!” Jongin says, having to speak up a little louder to be heard over the music. He’s smiling widely and bobbing to the music, his bangs sweeping across his forehead and Chanyeol can’t stop looking at him, especially when he’s this close. He pulls himself together though, to focus on actually keeping up the conversation going with Jongin. 

“We should set up a playlist for the shelter,” Chanyeol suggests, frowning at the thought. “Do you think dogs like music?”

Jongin laughs loudly, and Chanyeol can feel his laughter wracking through his shoulders, grinning at his reaction. 

“Maybe not so much this EDM,” Jongin says, patting Chanyeol’s knee. 

“Classical then? Or acoustic,” Chanyeol suddenly turns to face him excitedly. “I could bring my guitar and play for them!” 

Jongin laughs again, covering his mouth behind his hand and it’s infectious enough to get Chanyeol going too. 

“You’re sweet,” Jongin says then, his laughter dialling back into a soft smile. Their hands are brushing now, lingering by Chanyeol’s knee where Jongin had left his hand. 

Chanyeol feels the back of his neck burn, holding Jongin’s gaze and Jongin doesn’t break it. He tentatively curls a finger around one of Jongin’s and catches the way Jongin’s eyes dart down to his lips before coming back up to meet his eyes again. 

It feels almost magnetic when he watches Jongin slowly leaning in closer and Chanyeol can feel himself shifting automatically too, closing the distance between them. 

He’s barely a fraction away from Jongin’s face when something catches his attention through the corner of his eye. Someone coming in through the front door, another of Taemin’s guests. Except Chanyeol recognizes this one. He’s one of the Batteries, the very one who trashed Baekhyun’s bike and incidentally the one Chanyeol had managed to give a black eye.

“ _Shit_ I um-” Chanyeol jerks back, startling Jongin into straightening up, blinking in confusion. “I need to go.” 

He’s not prepared for this, he’s not prepared for the guy to recognize him back and expose him in front of Jongin and everyone else when he hasn’t even figured out if he can explain it to Jongin himself. 

Jongin’s expression slips, looking hurt this time and Chanyeol panics harder, pushing himself off the couch quickly and tries to find a way to get out of here without being seen. 

“Chanyeol, wait!” 

Jongin tries to grab hold of him but Chanyeol manages to slip away, pushing through the crowd to try and find the exit. 

“I’m really sorry Jongin, I have to go,” he calls back, feeling a spike of guilt mixing into the panic in his stomach at the way he’s leaving things. 

He finally manages to break through the throng of people and rushes out the door, taking the front steps four in one go in his haste. 

He doesn’t look back when Jongin calls after him again. 

 

 

He winds up sending a text the next morning instead of calling and talking to Jongin directly to call in sick, too ashamed and afraid to hear the disappointment and hurt in Jongin’s voice, probably still too confused and lost about what the hell happened. He wouldn't even know how to explain what happened without just coming right out with everything he's been trying to hide, and just the thought of lying to Jongin even more makes him sick to his stomach. 

It doesn't stop Jongin from leaving a ton of missed calls, all of which Chanyeol avoids, guiltily burying his phone in between the couch cushions until they finally stop, a sign that Jongin has given up. For now, at least. He probably thinks Chanyeol will have to come into work eventually anyway.

Chanyeol rolls over in his bed miserably, kicking himself for this predicament he’s gotten himself into, unable to blame anyone but himself for this. 

 

It’s a bad night. The Batteries come into the bar again and pick a fight with them this time, one they can’t avoid. Or one they don’t want to avoid, really. One of them snatches Sehun’s drink right out of his hands, aggressively shoving him backwards and Chanyeol sees red, as does the rest of his own gang. 

Sehun throws the first blow, cursing loudly and Chanyeol and Baekhyun back him up immediately. Everyone has been on edge lately, tip toeing around each other, building up the tension like a volcano ready to explode at any moment and now it has. They’re not getting pushed around anymore. 

It’s the wrong night to pick such a heated fight when they’re sorely outnumbered, and Chanyeol nearly feels his jaw dislocate with that last fist catching him in the side of his face. There’s broken glass everywhere and Chanyeol slips on the shards, catching himself hard on his hands and hisses at the searing pain of the glass fragments cutting into his palms. 

The sudden sound of metal being crushed catches his attention then through the din and he rushes outside to find two guys going at his bike with a baseball bat, shattering his mirrors and taillights before starting on the engine. 

Growling, Chanyeol comes up behind them, catching them by surprise enough to yank the bat out of one of the guy’s hands and shoves him aside. He doesn’t turn around in time to avoid the other bat swinging around and it catches him in the stomach, forcing him down on his knees, winded. He’s lucky Sehun springs out to knock the guy down before he takes another swing, or Chanyeol would be in real trouble. 

He’s barely finished that thought when the police sirens echo in the distance and there’s a mad scramble to get the hell out of there. There’s no time to check in with the others and Chanyeol just springs on his bike, clutching his aching stomach in pain and prays that the busted engine will last long enough to get him out of his. 

It lasts just long enough to get him out of the area that the police will be searching before it sputters and dies, stopping in the middle of the street in total darkness. Groaning in frustration, Chanyeol dismounts and drags the bike to the edge of the curb, finding a decent spot to park it. He's completely spent, wracked with pain and feels like he's about to keel over at this point. The street is quiet and dark, as expected at such a late hour. Chanyeol casts a glance over the house fronts across from him and realizes that he actually recognizes them. He'd come by here a while ago to help Jongin carry a heavy load of dog food sacks to his house. Chanyeol clutches at his stomach, walking down the street a little further and sure enough, Jongin's door is right there, just a few feet away. What are the chances that his bike would flake out on him here of all places.

His ribs shoot another spike of pain through his stomach, as though reminding him that he's still injured and stranded out here. He doesn't even think about it, letting his feet drag him up the steps right up to the door and knocks. Chanyeol winces in pain, having forgotten about the cuts and bruising around his knuckles from earlier. He feels guilty about waking Jongin up at this hour, but there's no time to reconsider and make a quick getaway because a light comes on inside. His stomach flip flops anxiously though the feeling quickly turns to pain again and he just tries to focus on keeping himself upright instead, without keeling backwards off the doorstep. 

Jongin cracks the door open finally before throwing it open in surprise when he sees Chanyeol there. 

“Chanyeol? What- holy _shit_ , what happened to you?” Jongin gasps when he rubs the sleep out of his eyes and gets a better look at the state Chanyeol is in. He ushers him inside quickly without a second thought, guiding him further inside towards his living room and gently pushes him down onto the couch slowly. Then he disappears down the hall where Chanyeol can hear him rummaging through the cabinets in the bathroom. 

“Sorry, my bike got totalled while I was headed home,” Chanyeol says apologetically when Jongin returns with a first aid kit in his hands. “This is the closest place I could think of to go.”

He doesn't mention that he desperately missed him too.

“You need a hospital,” Jongin says incredulously, even as he pulls out a roll of gauze to tend to him. 

“It’s not too bad here,” Chanyeol tries to smile but his cheek hurts and the sharp pain in his lip tells him it’s split open again with the movement. He’s very acutely aware that this is the first time he’s actually facing Jongin since he’s been avoiding him these past few days. He can tell that Jongin is on the same line of thought too, his expression giving it away, looking like he wants to say something but can’t decide where to start. The tug between his brows is always a dead giveaway.

Chanyeol decides to start first. He owes him this much. “I’m sorry about the party.”

Jongin’s hand halts for a moment before moving again to pull out the surgical spirit.

“I just want to know what’s going on,” he says and Chanyeol winces at the hurt ringing clearly in his voice. 

“It’s complicated,” Chanyeol says, and even to him it sounds flimsy.

“Try me.”

Jongin stares at him earnestly, the determination deeply rooted in his eyes and he waits expectantly, far more patient than Chanyeol feels he deserves from him.

Chanyeol doesn't want to hide anything from him anymore. He's not really sure where to start but decides that bringing up actually being part of a gang is probably a good place. He doesn’t quite manage the smoothest explanation, backtracking to clarify things all over the place when he tries to describe their inside codes and territory disputes with rival gangs around the city. 

“Those cuts and bruises I usually come to work with. They’re from fights I get into though I don’t even start most of them,” Chanyeol says, a little grumpily. 

All the while that he’s talking, Jongin has been sitting motionlessly, jaw dropped slightly, looking stunned. When Chanyeol is done, he seems to shake himself as though trying to find something to say in response. 

“So, you- do you- are there drugs involved?” he asks slowly. 

“What? Oh no, god no!” Chanyeol says immediately, waving his hands to dispel the misunderstanding. “It’s not that kind of gang I swear.” 

Jongin looks a little relieved at that at least, though he doesn’t look any less taken aback. 

“Chanyeol I...I’m not sure what to say,” he starts and whatever confidence Chanyeol had about just coming out with it drops as quickly as his earlier adrenaline.

“I’m sorry,” he says hastily, cutting Jongin off before getting to his feet with a grunt. He swallows down the pain, trying to fix a neutral expression on his face. “This was a mistake. I shouldn’t have come here.” 

“Wait, Chanyeol, you can’t leave!” Jongin protests, getting up after him and following him to the door. “We need to talk about this, I just want-”

“Why?” Chanyeol turns around to face him. The pain in his chest is starting to flare up a little more. “This is crazy, right? We're completely different people living completely different lives. How would that even work?”

He realizes that his words are a lot more pointed than anything he’s been able to confess to Jongin so far, but he can’t really hold it back anymore at this point. His chest twinges with pain again and he turns to leave, hurrying as much as his injuries will let him. He should have expected this. He _did_ expect this. Chanyeol can’t tell if his bruised ribs hurt more, or the crushing weight of disappointment. 

“I'm sorry I lied to you,” he says over shoulder, sincerely meaning it despite the fact that he's running out on him yet again. It feels like deja vu when Jongin calls after him again, but Chanyeol bites down hard on his lip, pushing past the ache still thrumming through his entire body and hurries down along the dark street, resigning himself to walking it home. He’ll come back for his totalled bike tomorrow, maybe, if he can even stand in the morning. Chanyeol is almost numb by the time he gets home, feeling a giant cacophony of guilt, regret, misery and the kind of hurt that ice packs can’t help. Thankfully, sleep comes to him quickly, blacking out the second he slumps on his bed. 

 

The pain spikes up tenfold when Chanyeol wakes up in the morning. He can’t really summon the energy to roll out of bed, certain that his body would just collapse anyway. Instead, he just stares at the ceiling blankly, inevitably replaying the night before in his head over and over again like it’ll somehow change what happened. He could have stayed a little longer, could have indulged Jongin when he asked him to wait but the fact that Jongin couldn’t find any words to say was probably indicative enough. 

He doesn't go to the shelter of course, moping around in his apartment for a couple of days, trying to work on his art instead but his focus is too scattered to really get into it properly. Frustrated and too restless to stay inside anymore, he texts the others to hang out in the evening. Most of the bruising has gone down enough for the pain to be manageable; nothing a good couple of beers can’t help soothe. Baekhyun gives him a ride down to the bar since his bike is still busted, parked down on Jongin’s street. Chanyeol isn’t sure when he’s going to get around to heading back there. 

Sehun is already there with drinks at the ready, wordlessly clapping a sympathetic hand on Chanyeol’s back. He’d already filled them in on what went down the other night. 

“Maybe he just misunderstood what you meant by it?” Sehun tries and Baekhyun nods in agreement. Chanyeol doesn’t know what to think, wondering how badly he might have fucked everything up. 

Sehun even buys him the next round of drinks, trying to cheer him up and Chanyeol takes the beer gratefully, giving him an appreciative nod. 

Baekhyun’s eyes suddenly widen when he spots something over Chanyeol’s shoulder and Chanyeol frowns, twisting around to see what’s wrong. He balks when he sees Jongin walking into the bar, donning a leather jacket and tight fitting pants. As someone who knows Jongin well, Chanyeol feels like he should looks out of place, except he looks incredible instead. Jongin spots him then, marching towards him with purpose.

“Jongin- what-?” Chanyeol nearly chokes on his own beer trying to get the words out. Sehun pointedly nudges him forward, pushing him closer to where Jongin is standing. “How did you even find me?”

“You dropped this at my place the other night,” Jongin says, holding out a folded napkin with the name of the bar printed on it. “Thought I’d try my luck.”

“What-”

“I need to say something, and I seriously need you to listen this time,” Jongin cuts him off in a rush. Chanyeol clamps his mouth shut, his heart thundering against his ribs. 

Jongin sucks in a deep breath, pausing for a moment like he’s collecting his thoughts. 

“You don't get to assume things can't work out,” Jongin starts, catching Chanyeol’s eyes properly and holding the gaze. Chanyeol’s heart skips a beat or two at the familiar warmth he finds in his eyes, struck once again by how much he’s missed him though it’s only been a few days.

“The other night, I just needed a minute to process it. This is...all of this is new to me. New isn’t bad,” Jongin goes on earnestly, looking desperately like he’s trying to convince Chanyeol, and really he’s already halfway there.

“I don’t even know what _this_ is,” he says, gesturing between them, and his cheeks are flooding with colour now, breaking the gaze. “Or if you even want this to _be_ something but-”

Chanyeol can’t listen to any more, his heart swelling to three times its size and he steps right into Jongin’s space to crush their mouths together before Jongin can go on. Jongin manages a surprised noise in his throat before sliding his hands around Chanyeol’s waist, slipping underneath the back of his jacket to press his fingers into Chanyeol’s back, holding on to him as he kisses back. 

The rush of finally kissing Jongin, feeling his lips move against his own, zings right through him, making his knees a little weak. Chanyeol slides a hand up to cup Jongin’s jaw, tilting his face a little to kiss him harder. Jongin responds to it with a shudder, pressing his fingers into Chanyeol’s back harder and slips his tongue in a little deeper, catching Chanyeol by surprise this time. 

They finally break apart, gasping for air, but Chanyeol leans right back in, pressing one kiss after another to Jongin’s lips.

“This thing; I really, really want this to be something,” Chanyeol says breathlessly, finally taking a small step back to put some space between them or he’ll never stop kissing him. 

“Well. Good.” Jongin looks flushed but pleased, like he’s trying to bite back a smile. 

“So have you had this jacket all this time?” Chanyeol asks, tugging at Jongin’s leather lapels, appreciating how gorgeous Jongin’s lean frame looks in it. 

“It was in the back of my closet,” Jongin shrugs. “I thought it would fit the dress code.”

“It’s hot,” Chanyeol breathes and Jongin grins devilishly, reeling Chanyeol in to kiss him again. Chanyeol does his best to block out the wolf whistles coming from behind him though Jongin can’t hold back his embarrassed laughter, breaking away again. 

“So, you really think this will work? You’re actually okay with this?” Chanyeol asks, turning serious again when the nervous twist in his stomach brings him back to the matter at hand. 

Jongin sighs, palming his face with a gentle smile. “I think you need to quit worrying so much.” 

“You’re in a biker gang not a drug circle,” he adds chuckling a bit when Chanyeol’s shoulders relax a fraction. “Give me some more credit.”

Chanyeol nods, his chest flooding with relief though he still kicks himself guiltily for not staying long enough for them to hash it out together, too afraid of outright rejection. 

“As long as you don’t hate dogs,” Jongin adds with a noncommittal shrug. 

“He’s actually allergic to them,” Baekhyun suddenly chimes in, materializing beside them with an impish grin on his face. Jongin’s mouth drops in horror and Chanyeol glares at Baekhyun, turning to punch him hard in the arm.

“You’re _allergic_ to dogs?” Jongin gapes, and he looks absolutely devastated. 

“It’s fine, I have it under control, I swear!” Chanyeol reassures him, making a mental note to make Baekhyun’s life absolute hell later. “It’s worth it.”

That seems to assuage Jongin’s despair, for the moment at least, and Chanyeol watches some colour rise in his cheeks again, accenting the fondness in his eyes.

“So,” he says, finally casting a look of interest around the bar. “What does a guy have to do to get a drink around here?”

He leans into Chanyeol coyly and Chanyeol’s the one flushing this time, taken by surprise at Jongin’s smooth talking. Feeling a little bolder, he snakes an arm around Jongin’s waist, keeping him close and fixes his eyes on Jongin’s face one more time before drawing him in for a kiss again. When he pulls back, Jongin’s expression is soft again, dripping warmth from his eyes with a small smile playing across his lips. That’s all he needs.


End file.
